Takemoto on why Peach isn’t playable in New Super Mario Bros. U

New Super Mario Bros. U features a few playable characters. You can control Mario, Luigi, Toad, and your very own Mii. Peach, however, is not playable.

Explaining the move, game director Masataka Takemoto said Peach wasn’t made available to players since she would likely have a different set of moves and animation. But in the New Super Mario Bros. series, the team wants all players to be on equal footing.

“In Super Mario Bros 2, Princess Peach had her own unique moves and animation. In this series, we want all the players to have the same moves and animations as Mario, and Princess Peach isn’t suited for that.”